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SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today issued the following statement regarding Governor Schwarzenegger's May Revision to his proposed budget:

"The May Revision to the Governor's budget is good news for education in the context of the overall budget picture, and I applaud Governor Schwarzenegger for this commitment. As comprehensive research on California schools recently made clear, however, our state will need to find both greater efficiencies and new ways to significantly increase the investment in our schools if we are to maintain our competitiveness in the global economy.

"I am tremendously pleased that the Governor included my funding request to support the collection of quality individual student data in a system that will at long last allow our state to report accurately on graduation and dropout rates. The Governor deserves to be congratulated for his commitment to quality student data. This support for the California Longitudinal Pupil Achievement Data System (CalPADS) will provide important quality student-level information needed to more effectively target resources and ensure that districts are better able to meet the specific needs of individual students. I will work with the Governor and Legislature to ensure that funding becomes permanent, and not merely a one-time investment, as schools will need to make permanent decisions such as hiring data specialists in order to deliver quality. I also look forward to continuing a conversation around how we build a student data system that gives us all the information we need to make sound educational decisions, as opposed to one that simply complies with federal law.

"I also applaud the Governor's efforts to enhance career technical education (CTE) and counseling in high schools. As we expand career-related education options, however, we must be certain we don't return to the day when students were ‘tracked' into less-rigorous courses, limiting their options for successful futures. Today, there are many outstanding CTE courses that provide both career training and a rigorous academic foundation. All high school students must have access to challenging, engaging curriculum that prepares them to high standards and has relevance to the real world of work."